This was a fairly solid fantasy heist novel. It seemed like the author was more excited about the characters at times than I was, and when they revealed that this was originally a tabletop campaign that they'd played and adapted, it clicked for me. It's a neat tabletop adventure but it didn't end up clicking as a novel for me.

THE QUEEN OF DAYS, though I desperately wanted to like this book, I didn't. The story and the characters felt just out of reach for me to really connect and invest in them. Sadly, I had to push myself to even finish this. I am sure there will be an audience for this book, but it was not for me.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for my eARC. All thoughts are my own.

I really enjoyed Kelly's "The Frozen Crown" and was curious how this story would play out. I was intrigued after the first few chapters but it took awhile to invest because of the large amount of world building. The story was action packed, smart, and suspenseful with lots of humor when the Queen of Days would speak or not understand the cadre's conversation. I found a few parts to drag a little but I wanted to find out what happened and was really glad I was able to read along for the adventure.

This one was just ok for me. I didn't find it overly gripping . There were many times I felt I could just put it down and never pick it back up.

Ok it’s time. I was so beyond excited to receive this ARC. I have started it so many times since then. I made one last attempt this wk. But still it was a no go.

First off I love Greta Kelly! I have read all her other books. I devoured them and loved them. For some reason this story line I just couldn’t get into . I can make it about half way before I am annoyed with the characters. As well as the plot. I just don’t think this story is for me. I know there will be many that will enjoy this.

Ps- I tried the audio and for me it didn’t improve. Sadly this is a DNF.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. There was a slow start to this book that really made me take my time into getting into the real story, I felt the pacing was a bit off considering how long it took me to get invested in the story while the entirety of the book seemed to only take place over a short period of time. That being said, I did enjoy the overall storyline. I wish Tass had been as impactful as she was in her introduction, throughout the rest of the book but she kind of just fades into the background by the end.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

The premise for this one was fantastic, and the beginning scene in the prison cell seemed promising and we were given some intriguing worldbuilding, from the way the Queen of Days extracted payment, to learning why Bal was after revenge. Unfortunately, that was the high-point, and the rest of the book failed to live up to it. I never felt fully grounded in the world, which made it very difficult to be invested with the events because I had no clear concept of where they were happening. However, it was the characters that ended up detracting from this one for me; and I'm disappointed because I thought Bal had promise at the beginning, but that disappeared leaving a poor leader (in a heist book) and someone willing to make decision - even life effecting ones - for those around him; and risking those that returned his affection, for someone who clearly didn't. And our titular character felt very side-lined later in the book, which felt like it defeated the object of the story; and that along with the predictiveness of the plot left the heist feeling lacking.

For the first quarter, I struggled to get a sense of place. We jump right into the action with only some exposition of the characters’ surroundings. What kind of land is the City of Ashaar? What do the homes look like? What kind of attire do the citizens wear? What or who do they worship? We don’t really get those lush descriptions I expect from a fantasy novel; there were a lot of fantasy-esque names dropped with little context of how they fit into the world.

What saved this for me was the characters. Kelly does a superb job of letting us love the Talion crew, even if their actions were purposely sometimes obnoxious. But that’s family, right? This is a dual-POV novel with Bal and Tess, yet the reader can still discover the unique traits, backstory, and motivations of the entire Talion crew. Also, the banter is epic.

As with most heist books, I found myself more engaged when the action got going. The setup always feels like a slog (Greta — it’s me, not you), but I couldn’t put this down when the proverbial shit hit the fan. Minor spoiler – something goes wrong and puts our heroes in a…scary position. If the heist was immediately successful, this would be a very short book.

Another aspect I enjoyed, without giving too much away, was the theme of science vs. faith, and how beliefs can shift when faced with the unthinkable. I’ve read plenty of books that approach this topic, but The Queen of Days gives it a unique spin.

The Queen of Days has a cast of unlikely allies on the quest for the second half of a magical statue (the first half of which Bal stole already) with the hopes of getting paid and not getting killed. Greta Kelly has written a fantastic fantasy heist story!

The Queen of Days swept me away with the characters! I loved the world-building, but the characters are the driving force of this story.

A heist, a god that takes payment taking days from your life, a god that takes bodies, a crew that’s a family and beautiful friendship? SOLD!

This book was so good y’all honestly one of the few times that I did not mind a book didn’t have romance in it. So so much happened in this standalone that was crazy oh and so many twists.
I really loved the concept of the gods and their abilities and backstory of the characters and their interaction. How everyone had their own opinion and they had to get to common ground or nothing was happening.
I disliked some character choices but I do understand why they did what they did although I wish hey had another way to do it.

All in all a really good book that deserves more attention.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an arc in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars. The Queen of Days- perfect for fans of Foundryside. A heist for personal gain becomes a race to save the world when a crew of thieves cross paths with god-like beings intent on interfering with the human world. Humanity has no defense against vengeful gods that can steal and control Time, but maybe with the help of the Queen of Days, a mythical mercenary with a mysterious past, young Balthazar and his crew might just have a chance of saving their city.

This book was one of my surprise favorite reads of 2023. I absolutely see the marketing comparison with Six of Crows and Lies of Locke Lamora, but I want to lean into the Foundryside comparison because of the nature of the magic in this world. The Time magic is not quite as fleshed out as in Foundryside, but it's still a very clever use of logic and physics to create superhuman abilities.

I loved how the found family trope played out not within the crew itself, but with the character of Tass learning to trust and be accepted by her human companions after her lifetime of loneliness and rejection.

My main critique is with the crew leader Balthazar- he just read too young and inexperienced in comparison to the amount of trust and loyalty his other crew members exhibited towards him. The readers are told he is a good leader more than we actually see it on page. I definitely see the influence of Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows, but I don't think the author was quite successful in portraying that same level of leadership.

While this book doesn't outrank the other books it is compared to, I still had a great time with it, I heartily recommend it for readers who love a magical heist story, and I hope this author has plans for more books in this world.

As someone who is looking for more standalone books that still pack a punch, this was enjoyable to read.

While it did take me a bit of time to connect to the characters, Bal's constant need to care for those that he loved made me root for this group of thieves. If you are looking for a fast-paced, long weekend, heist, and hijinks, this book will be for you. The dry humor that Tass brings and Bal's salty personality had me chuckling at some of the dialogue.

I wish we were able to see more of the world and have a bit more action happening in different locations. At times the book felt stalled to me and it was hard to get back into the story. I understand it is hard to balance in one book, but. I think it would have helped make the story feel like it was moving along more.

Overall, a fun read with unique magic and a diverse cast. 10/10 recommend if you are looking for a standalone,

(3.5 rounded up to a 4)

The Queen of Days by Greta Kelly is a high fantasy heist adventure with a found family of thieves.

The publisher blurb mentioned this book is perfect for fans of The Lies of Locke Lamora and I definitely agree with that. Both of these books have action that keeps going and going.

I really enjoyed Kelly's Warrior Witch duology! The blurb from this one sounded cool, especially the mention of time magic. However, I didn't love this one as much as The Frozen Crown and The Seventh Queen.

The beginning really sucked me in; I really enjoy Kelly's writing and there is some cool world-building here. There were some pacing issues in the middle that pulled me out of the story. I didn't really identify with any of the characters, and I wish that we got a bit more depth regarding the rest of the crew.

Still an enjoyable read, though!

CW: violence, death, torture

The Queen of Days is a beautifully-written, action-packed, heist-driven fantasy. For Balthazar, nothing is more important than family. Well, except maybe revenge. Ever since the governor murdered most of Bal's family, Bal has been determined to get his revenge. While waiting for everything to fall into place, Bal and his remaining family survive by conning and thieving. The team's newest mission - to steal a priceless idol - could result in a massive reward. Bal is determined to steal the statue, gain the huge reward, and get his revenge, all while keeping his family alive. Unfortunately, this new mission brings the team into a world full of Gods, demons, magic, and death.

The Queen of Days is gorgeously written. The characters are all well-developed and relatable. There is plenty of action and excitement throughout the book. I will definitely be recommending The Queen of Days, as well as reading more by this author. It's an easy 5 stars!

The Queen of Days by Greta Kelly is a high-stakes fantasy heist novel with a lot of action. What's missing from the novel is the character development and interactions. This novel is marketed in-part as a found-family novel, but that element is in a far second place after the thieving/god-killing aspects of the novel. I would consider reading other novels by Greta Kelly, but I don't know that I would read a follow-up to this particular book.

I am a huge fan of Leigh Bardugo and the Six of Crows duology holds a special place in my heart...which is why I probably should not have requested this ARC haha going into it with high expectations did not help me to be subjective and I kept wanting to put this down and pick up Six of Crows instead. It was well written and an interesting story but it paled in comparison. I'd still order this book for the library, I know lots of people would love it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Stars 4.5/5.0
Fantasy heist, found family, and god killing? Of course I jumped at the chance to read this. This is a really solid and fun standalone to read. Most of what I read is apart of a series, so I’m used to character development and arcs taking a lot of time; however, even though this story only had the length of a standalone, it didn’t feel as it was rushed/awkwardly timed. The character developments of both Bal and Tess are very real and well paced.

What I think I appreciated a lot too was how real the motivation behind the characters felt. Characters didn’t jump to kill a god because why not? They don’t wanna die a stupid death. That is, until appropriate motivation comes into play.

This being said, the comparison to Six of Crows, even though I see why it’s there, if you read that and want to read this because of the heist, know that the heist planning and heist does not take up a lot of the book. Again, it’s not rushed, but it’s also not the core story.

Can I just say also, absolutely no pressure to Greta Kelly. If you don’t want to write another book in this world, I totally understand. You still have me as a reader because I’m definitely checking out of your other works. That being said, PLEASE CAN WE HAVE MORE OF THE SIDE CHARACTERS IN ANOTHER BOOK (totally not biased as I definitely don’t love a sarcastic character)??

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one was just meh...

- I like multiple point of view books because they tend to keep my attention more, and I end up connecting to the characters in different ways but in this one, I didn't like any of the characters. One makes very bad decisions, and he's supposed to be the leader?! Also, one is written in first person, and the other one in third?
- It does have some action packed scenes but it is very predictable as it is heist, and it follows the same type of elements you see in all heist movies, books, etc.
- It was OK at the beginning, blah in the middle, and then good at the end... Magic system was different which is good.

Just wasn't for me.

3.5/.75 stars.

Thank you netgalley for this arc.

I liked this one. The highlight was definitely Tassiel, especially her and Mira’s relationship. Also, still waiting for Tass and Baz to kiss😒. While this definitely does have that soc vibe, something’s missing. The storyline and worldbuilding was good, but I think the scenes needed more intention/energy. They didn’t always promote me to keep ready, they were sometimes just there. I feel similarly about the characters. While I love Tassiel, she has some good quips and I wish we had more of that. I wish some of the personalities felt stronger and more distinct. I really like the chapter/s when they went into Tass’s world. The description of it and how different it was, was fun to read.